Training Corner
We’ve teamed up with Marilyn Trout, certified USA Cycling Elite Coach to answer V-Club members’ training questions. You can view her coach profile at: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/coachdirectory/searchbydiscipline.asp#MarilynTrout
Send your cycling inquiries to Marilyn, and for a limited time, if yours is selected to be answered in our V-Club column, VeloWear will send you a $20 gift certificate that can be used towards any purchase on VeloWear.com. To submit your inquiry, e-mail her at trout_mic@msn.com, and type “V-Club Training Question” in the subject line of the e-mail.
Possibly Exercise Induced Asthma?
V-Club member Paul Durenberger is our 19th winner of a $20 VeloWear gift certificate! His question that follows was answered by Peg Labiuk (nee Peggy Maass), a colleague of Marilyn Trout, and a certified NCCP level 3 coach with a career in international road and track racing. She is a World Championship medalist, World Record holder, U.S. Olympic Team member, former British national team coach and Kreb's Cycle co-founder (British Columbia, Canada).
Hello,
I am in my mid-forties and usually ride 120 miles a week with one ride of 50+ miles that include hills. Often when I complete a hard ride and occasionally when I am still riding I will find it impossible to take a deep breath. When I try to take a deep breath my lungs refuse and I cough. A friend said I may have athletic induced asthma. Is coughing for 1/2 hour after a hard ride normal? Have you heard of this type of asthma? I find that when this happens it is usually after a ride is done and there is tightness in my chest that refuses to allow me to take any type of deep breath. Any attempt will result in pain, and a quick cough that is usually a multiple cough until my short breaths can catch up. It may happen a couple of times during rides, usually on cold days after climbs. I have been to points of fatigue where I cough and hack, but this is very different. There is a very distinct tightness in my chest that refuses to allow air in.
Thanks,
Paul D.
Sacramento, CA
Paul,
It sure sounds to me like you are experiencing Exercise Induced Asthma. Marilyn passed your question on to me since I have asthma myself. She also found the accurate description, below:
EIA (Exercise Induced Asthma)
During normal breathing, the air we take in is first warmed and moistened by the nasal passages. Because people tend to breathe through their mouths when they exercise, they are inhaling colder and drier air. In exercise-induced asthma, the muscle bands around the airways are sensitive to these changes in temperature and humidity and react by contracting, which narrows the airway. This results in symptoms of exercised-induced asthma, which include:
- Coughing with asthma
- Tightening of the chest
- Wheezing
- Unusual fatigue while exercising
- Shortness of breath when exercising
The symptoms of exercise-induced asthma generally begin within 5-20 minutes after the start of exercise, or 5-10 minutes after brief exercise has stopped.
Another description calls it EIB = Exercise Induced Bronchiospasms. If you think of the bronchiole sacs in your lungs being in spasm, that would explain the tight feeling in your chest. It's kind of like cramping - involuntary, and it's the start of a whole chain of events like coughing and production of mucous.
In my experience, cold air is the best condition for inducing a bout. Also allergies, especially airborne like dust, pollen, paint fumes, fabric lint, smoke, air pollution, humidity, and especially the dust from coffee grinding. It is also worse for me if I've had wheat or dairy products. So that should give you a list of situations to eliminate. Your doctor may schedule you for a stress test, but many hand out salbutimol inhalers like candy. They are handy to carry with you on a ride to use as needed. I had great success using Chinese herbs to curb my asthma.
There has been an increase in asthma cases, especially in children. In fact, the number of children and the total number of people with asthma in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1980. There is no consensus yet as to the cause. There is also an emotional side to asthma, as attacks are traumatic and even fatal. Working on breathing techniques to slow your exhale and relax your mind can reduce the impact and even prevent a full blown reaction.
Whatever method you choose, Paul, let us know when you are breathing easier.
Peg
Technorati tags:
training